Search results for: digital coating

Authors: Bertalan Jillek, Péter Szabó, Judit Kopniczky, István Szabó, Balázs Patczai, Kinga Turzó

Abstract:

Hip and knee prostheses are one of the most frequently used medical implants, that can significantly improve patients’ quality of life. Long term success and biointegration of these prostheses depend on several factors, like bulk and surface characteristics, construction and biocompatibility of the material. The applied surgical technique, the general health condition and life-quality of the patient are also determinant factors. Medical devices used in orthopedic surgeries have different surfaces depending on their function inside the human body. Surface roughness of these implants determines the interaction with the surrounding tissues. Numerous modifications have been applied in the recent decades to improve a specific property of an implant. Our goal was to compare the surface characteristics of typical implant materials used in orthopedic surgery and traumatology. Morphological and chemical structure of Vortex plate anodized titanium, cemented THR (total hip replacement) stem high nitrogen REX steel (SS), uncemented THR stem and cup titanium (Ti) alloy with titanium plasma spray coating (TPS), cemented cup and uncemented acetabular liner HXL and UHMWPE and TKR (total knee replacement) femoral component CoCrMo alloy (Sanatmetal Ltd, Hungary) discs were examined. Visualization and elemental analysis were made by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Surface roughness was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and profilometry. SEM and AFM revealed the morphological and roughness features of the examined materials. TPS Ti presented the highest Ra value (25 ± 2 μm, followed by CoCrMo alloy (535 ± 19 nm), Ti (227 ± 15 nm) and stainless steel (170 ± 11 nm). The roughness of the HXL and UHMWPE surfaces was in the same range, 147 ± 13 nm and 144 ± 15 nm, respectively. EDS confirmed typical elements on the investigated prosthesis materials: Vortex plate Ti (Ti, O, P); TPS Ti (Ti, O, Al); SS (Fe, Cr, Ni, C) CoCrMo (Co, Cr, Mo), HXL (C, Al, Ni) and UHMWPE (C, Al). The results indicate that the surface of prosthesis materials have significantly different features and the applied investigation methods are suitable for their characterization. Contact angle measurements and in vitro cell culture testing are further planned to test their surface energy characteristics and biocompatibility.

Keywords: morphology, PE, roughness, titanium

Procedia PDF Downloads 129

Authors: Nebojša Janićijević

Abstract:

The paper presents the results of a study on work-related values of Generation Z, comprised of young people born between the late 1990s and 2010. Following Millennials, Generation Z is the first generation of digital natives. This is the reason, along with some other circumstances that accompanied them during their growing up, why Generation Z has somewhat different work-related values than previous generations. Since they are just beginning to enter the labor market and will be the majority of the workforce in the next decade or two, it is very important and useful for their employers to understand what Generation Z values when it comes to work. The study was conducted by surveying the students of the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, Serbia, during 2022 and 2023. The research results show that Generation Z values safety, achievement, and status the most in the workplace. From the individual perspective, future employees consider it most important that their job provides good working conditions, recognition for the work performed, and the possibility of achievement. It is noticeable that Generation Z students, to a significant extent, expect to be protected and safe at work in the future, both in terms of the job itself and in terms of social relations. According to the research findings, Generation Z is relatively homogeneous, and no significant differences in work-related values were found among them, except by gender.

Keywords: generation Z, work related values, students, Serbia

Procedia PDF Downloads 29

Authors: J. Urban, Á. S. Botella, L. E. Robaina, A. Bárta, P. Souček, P. Císař, Š. Papáček, L. M. Domínguez

Abstract:

Skin coloration in fish is of great physiological, behavioral and ecological importance and can be considered as an index of animal welfare in aquaculture as well as an important quality factor in the retail value. Currently, in order to compare color in animals fed on different diets, biochemical analysis, and colorimetry of fished, mildly anesthetized or dead body, are very accurate and meaningful measurements. The noninvasive method using digital images of the fish body was developed as a standalone application. This application deals with the computation burden and memory consumption of large input files, optimizing piece wise processing and analysis with the memory/computation time ratio. For the comparison of color distributions of various experiments and different color spaces (RGB, CIE L*a*b*) the comparable semi-equidistant binning of multi channels representation is introduced. It is derived from the knowledge of quantization levels and Freedman-Diaconis rule. The color calibrations and camera responsivity function were necessary part of the measurement process.

Keywords: color distribution, fish skin color, piecewise transformation, object to background segmentation

Procedia PDF Downloads 265

Authors: A-Q. Nguyen. A. Amrhar, J. Zambrano, G. Brown, O.A. Yeste-Ojeda, R. Jr. Landry

Abstract:

Since the presence of Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) has raised specific concerns related to the privacy and security, due to its vulnerable, low-level of security and limited payload. In this paper, the authors introduce and analyze the combination of Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) and Phase Shift Keying (PSK) Modulation in conventional ADS-B, forming Secure ADS-B (SADS-B) avionics. In order to demonstrate the potential of this combination, Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation was used. The tests' results show that, on the one hand, SADS-B can offer five times the payload as its predecessor. This additional payload of SADS-B can be used in various applications, therefore enhancing the ability and efficiency of the current ADS-B. On the other hand, by using the extra phase modulated bits as a digital signature to authenticate ADS-B messages, SADS-B can increase the security of ADS-B, thus ensure a more secure aviation as well. More importantly, SADS-B is compatible with the current ADS-B In and Out. Hence, no significant modifications will be needed to implement this idea. As a result, SADS-B can be considered the most promising approach to enhance the capability and security of ADS-B.

Keywords: ADS-B authentication, ADS-B security, NextGen ADS-B, PSK signature, secure ADS-B

Procedia PDF Downloads 321

Authors: Monika Jurkeviciute, Amia Enam, Johanna Torres Bonilla, Henrik Eriksson

Abstract:

Introduction: Many evaluations of eHealth interventions conclude that the evidence for improved clinical outcomes is limited, especially when the intervention is short, such as one year. Often, evaluation design does not address the feasibility of achieving clinical outcomes. Evaluations are designed to reflect upon clinical goals of intervention without utilizing the opportunity to illuminate effects on organizations and cost. A comprehensive design of evaluation can better support decision-making regarding the effectiveness and potential transferability of eHealth. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to present a feasible and comprehensive design of evaluation for eHealth intervention, including the design process in different contexts. Methodology: The situation of limited feasibility of clinical outcomes was foreseen in the European Union funded project called “DECI” (“Digital Environment for Cognitive Inclusion”) that is run under the “Horizon 2020” program with an aim to define and test a digital environment platform within corresponding care models that help elderly people live independently. A complex intervention of eHealth implementation into elaborate care models in four different countries was planned for one year. To design the evaluation, a participative approach was undertaken using Pettigrew’s lens of change and transformations, including context, process, and content. Through a series of workshops, observations, interviews, and document analysis, as well as a review of scientific literature, a comprehensive design of evaluation was created. Findings: The findings indicate that in order to get evidence on clinical outcomes, eHealth interventions should last longer than one year. The content of the comprehensive evaluation design includes a collection of qualitative and quantitative methods for data gathering which illuminates non-medical aspects. Furthermore, it contains communication arrangements to discuss the results and continuously improve the evaluation design, as well as procedures for monitoring and improving the data collection during the intervention. The process of the comprehensive evaluation design consists of four stages: (1) analysis of a current state in different contexts, including measurement systems, expectations and profiles of stakeholders, organizational ambitions to change due to eHealth integration, and the organizational capacity to collect data for evaluation; (2) workshop with project partners to discuss the as-is situation in relation to the project goals; (3) development of general and customized sets of relevant performance measures, questionnaires and interview questions; (4) setting up procedures and monitoring systems for the interventions. Lastly, strategies are presented on how challenges can be handled during the design process of evaluation in four different countries. The evaluation design needs to consider contextual factors such as project limitations, and differences between pilot sites in terms of eHealth solutions, patient groups, care models, national and organizational cultures and settings. This implies a need for the flexible approach to evaluation design to enable judgment over the effectiveness and potential for adoption and transferability of eHealth. In summary, this paper provides learning opportunities for future evaluation designs of eHealth interventions in different national and organizational settings.

Keywords: ehealth, elderly, evaluation, intervention, multi-cultural

Procedia PDF Downloads 327

Authors: Matthias Haenisch, Marc Godau, Julia Barreiro, Dominik Maxelon

Abstract:

In times of ubiquitous digitalization and the increasing entanglement of humans and technologies in musical practices in the 21st century, it is to be asked, how popular musicians learn in the (post)digital Age. Against the backdrop of the increasing interest in transferring informal learning practices into formal settings of music education the interdisciplinary research association »MusCoDA – Musical Communities in the (Post)Digital Age« (University of Erfurt/University of Applied Sciences Clara Hoffbauer Potsdam, funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research, pursues the goal to derive an empirical model of collective songwriting practices from the study of informal lelearningf songwriters and bands that can be translated into pedagogical concepts for music education in schools. Drawing on concepts from Community of Musical Practice and Actor Network Theory, lelearnings considered not only as social practice and as participation in online and offline communities, but also as an effect of heterogeneous networks composed of human and non-human actors. Learning is not seen as an individual, cognitive process, but as the formation and transformation of actor networks, i.e., as a practice of assembling and mediating humans and technologies. Based on video stimulated recall interviews and videography of online and offline activities, songwriting practices are followed from the initial idea to different forms of performance and distribution. The data evaluation combines coding and mapping methods of Grounded Theory Methodology and Situational Analysis. This results in network maps in which both the temporality of creative practices and the material and spatial relations of human and technological actors are reconstructed. In addition, positional analyses document the power relations between the participants that structure the learning process of the field. In the area of online informal lelearninginitial key research findings reveal a transformation of the learning subject through the specific technological affordances of TikTok and Instagram and the accompanying changes in the learning practices of the corresponding online communities. Learning is explicitly shaped by the material agency of online tools and features and the social practices entangled with these technologies. Thus, any human online community member can be invited to directly intervene in creative decisions that contribute to the further compositional and structural development of songs. At the same time, participants can provide each other with intimate insights into songwriting processes in progress and have the opportunity to perform together with strangers and idols. Online Lelearnings characterized by an increase in social proximity, distribution of creative agency and informational exchange between participants. While it seems obvious that traditional notions not only of lelearningut also of the learning subject cannot be maintained, the question arises, how exactly the observed informal learning practices and the subject that emerges from the use of social media as online learning technologies can be transferred into contexts of formal learning

Keywords: informal learning, postdigitality, songwriting, actor-network theory, community of musical practice, social media, TikTok, Instagram, apps

Procedia PDF Downloads 134

Authors: Ashraf Nawaz Khan, R. Alagirusamy, Apurba Das, Puneet Mahajan

Abstract:

The thermoplastic-based fibre composites are acquiring a market sector of conventional as well as thermoset composites. However, replacing the thermoset with a thermoplastic composite has never been an easy task. The inherent high viscosity of thermoplastic resin reveals poor interface properties. In this work, a homo-polymer towpreg is produced through an electrostatic powder spray coating methodology. The produced flexible towpreg offers a low melt-flow distance during the consolidation of the laminate. The reduced melt-flow distance demonstrates a homogeneous fibre/matrix distribution (and low void content) on consolidation. The composite laminate has been fabricated with two manufacturing techniques such as conventional film stack (FS) and powder-coated (PC) technique. This helps in understanding the distinct response of produced laminates on applying load since the laminates produced through the two techniques are comprised of the same constituent fibre and matrix (constant fibre volume fraction). The changed behaviour is observed mainly due to the different fibre/matrix configurations within the laminate. The interface adhesion influences the load transfer between the fibre and matrix. Therefore, it influences the elastic, plastic, and failure patterns of the laminates. Moreover, the effect of preform geometries (plain weave and satin weave structure) are also studied for corresponding composite laminates in terms of various mechanical properties. The fracture analysis is carried out to study the effect of resin at the interlacement points through micro-CT analysis. The PC laminate reveals a considerably small matrix-rich and deficient zone in comparison to the FS laminate. The different load tensile, shear, fracture toughness, and drop weight impact test) is applied to the laminates, and corresponding damage behaviour is analysed in the successive stage of failure. The PC composite has shown superior mechanical properties in comparison to the FS composite. The damage that occurs in the laminate is captured through the SEM analysis to identify the prominent mode of failure, such as matrix cracking, fibre breakage, delamination, debonding, and other phenomena.

Keywords: composite, damage, fibre, manufacturing

Procedia PDF Downloads 139

Authors: Nwauzoma Ohale Rowland, Bright Ugochukwu Umunna

Abstract:

The world has been referred to as a global village for decades, adapting various technological and digital innovations to progress along the lines of development. Different continents have fully automated processes and procedures in the various sectors of their economies. This paper attempts to ascertain why the West African sub-continent while displaying a slow progression, has also joined the race toward having a fully automated process, albeit only in certain areas of its economy. Different reasons for this have been posited and will be discussed in this work. These reasons include high illiteracy rates and poor acceptance of new technologies. Studies were carried out that involved interactions with different business sectors and also a secondary-level investigation of experiments to ascertain the impact of automation in supply chain management on the West African market. Our reports show remarkable growth in businesses and sectors that have automated their processes. While this is the case, other results have also confirmed as due to the high illiteracy rates; the labour force has also been affected.

Keywords: Africa, automation, business, innovation, supply chain management, technology

Procedia PDF Downloads 109

Authors: Murad Almadani, Khalil Abu-Hantash, Xinyu Wang, Herbert Jelinek, Kinda Khalaf

Abstract:

Gait analysis is used by healthcare professionals as a tool to gain a better understanding of the movement impairment and track progress. In most circumstances, monitoring patients in their real-life environments with low-cost equipment such as cameras and wearable sensors is more important. Inertial sensors, on the other hand, cannot provide enough information on angular dynamics. This research offers a method for tracking 2D joint coordinates using cutting-edge vision algorithms and a single RGB camera. We provide an end-to-end comprehensive deep learning pipeline for marker-less gait parameter estimation, which, to our knowledge, has never been done before. To make our pipeline function in real-time for real-world applications, we leverage the AlphaPose human posture prediction model and a deep learning transformer. We tested our approach on the well-known GPJATK dataset, which produces promising results.

Keywords: gait analysis, human pose estimation, deep learning, real time gait estimation, AlphaPose, transformer

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: Munirajulu M, Srikanth Modem

Abstract:

A large cricket stadium with the capacity to accommodate several thousands of spectators has the seating arena consisting of a two-tier arrangement with an upper and a lower bowl and an intermediate concourse podium level for pedestrian movement to access the bowls. The uniqueness of the stadium is that spectators can have an unobstructed view from all around the podium towards the field of play. Upper and lower bowls are connected by stairs. The stairs landing is a precast slab supported by cantilevered steel beams. These steel beams are fixed to precast columns supporting the stadium structure. The stair slabs are precast concrete supported on a landing slab and cantilevered steel beams. During an event of a fire at podium level between two staircases, fire resistance of steel beams is very critical to life safety. If the steel beam loses its strength due to lack of fire resistance, it will be weak in supporting stair slabs and may lead to a hazard in evacuating occupants from the upper bowl to the lower bowl. In this study, to ascertain fire rating and life safety, a performance-based design using CFD analysis is used to evaluate the steel beams' fire resistance. A fire size of 3.5 MW (convective heat output of fire) with a wind speed of 2.57 m/s is considered for fire and smoke simulation. CFD results show that the smoke temperature near the staircase/ around the staircase does not exceed 1500 C for the fire duration considered. The surface temperature of cantilevered steel beams is found to be less than or equal to 1500 C. Since this temperature is much less than the critical failure temperature of steel (5200 C), it is concluded that the design of structural steel supports on the staircase is adequate and does not need additional fire protection such as fire-resistant coating. CFD analysis provided an engineering basis for the performance-based design of steel structural elements and an opportunity to optimize fire protection requirements. Thus, performance-based design using CFD modeling and simulation of fire and smoke is an innovative way to evaluate fire rating requirements, ascertain life safety and optimize the design with regard to fire protection on structural steel elements.

Keywords: fire resistance, life safety, performance-based design, CFD analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 195

Authors: Ursula D. C. Resende, Yan G. Santos, Lucas M. de O. Andrade

Abstract:

The recent and fast development of the internet, wireless, telecommunication technologies and low-power electronic devices has led to an expressive amount of electromagnetic energy available in the environment and the smart applications technology expansion. These applications have been used in the Internet of Things devices, 4G and 5G solutions. The main feature of this technology is the use of the wireless sensor. Although these sensors are low-power loads, their use imposes huge challenges in terms of an efficient and reliable way for power supply in order to avoid the traditional battery. The radio frequency based energy harvesting technology is especially suitable to wireless power sensors by using a rectenna since it can be completely integrated into the distributed hosting sensors structure, reducing its cost, maintenance and environmental impact. The rectenna is an equipment composed of an antenna and a rectifier circuit. The antenna function is to collect as much radio frequency radiation as possible and transfer it to the rectifier, which is a nonlinear circuit, that converts the very low input radio frequency energy into direct current voltage. In this work, a set of rectennas, mounted on a paper substrate, which can be used for the inner coating of buildings and simultaneously harvest electromagnetic energy from the environment, is proposed. Each proposed individual rectenna is composed of a 2.45 GHz patch antenna and a voltage doubler rectifier circuit, built in the same paper substrate. The antenna contains a rectangular radiator element and a microstrip transmission line that was projected and optimized by using the Computer Simulation Software (CST) in order to obtain values of S11 parameter below -10 dB in 2.45 GHz. In order to increase the amount of harvested power, eight individual rectennas, incorporating metamaterial cells, were connected in parallel forming a system, denominated Electromagnetic Wall (EW). In order to evaluate the EW performance, it was positioned at a variable distance from the internet router, and a 27 kΩ resistive load was fed. The results obtained showed that if more than one rectenna is associated in parallel, enough power level can be achieved in order to feed very low consumption sensors. The 0.12 m2 EW proposed in this work was able to harvest 0.6 mW from the environment. It also observed that the use of metamaterial structures provide an expressive growth in the amount of electromagnetic energy harvested, which was increased from 0. 2mW to 0.6 mW.

Keywords: electromagnetic energy harvesting, metamaterial, rectenna, rectifier circuit

Procedia PDF Downloads 175

Authors: Oualid Walid Ben Ali

Abstract:

Big Data has become one of the buzzwords today. The recent explosion of digital data has led the organization, either private or public, to a new era towards a more efficient decision making. At some point, business decided to use that concept in order to learn what make their clients tick with phrases like ‘sales funnel’ analysis, ‘actionable insights’, and ‘positive business impact’. So, it stands to reason that Big Data was viewed through green (read: money) colored lenses. Somewhere along the line, however someone realized that collecting and processing data doesn’t have to be for business purpose only, but also could be used for other purposes to assist law enforcement or to improve policing or in road safety. This paper presents briefly, how Big Data have been used in the fields of policing order to improve the decision making process in the daily operation of the police. As example, we present a big-data driven system which is sued to accurately dispatch the patrol cars in a geographic environment. The system is also used to allocate, in real-time, the nearest patrol car to the location of an incident. This system has been implemented and applied in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Keywords: big data, big data analytics, patrol car allocation, dispatching, GIS, intelligent, Abu Dhabi, police, UAE

Procedia PDF Downloads 493

Authors: Amal Khalifa, Nicolas Vana Santos

Abstract:

Steganography has been known for centuries as an efficient approach for covert communication. Due to its popularity and ease of access, image steganography has attracted researchers to find secure techniques for hiding information within an innocent looking cover image. In this research, we propose a novel deep-learning approach to digital image steganography. The proposed method, DeepWaveletFusion, uses convolutional neural networks (CNN) to hide a secret image into a cover image of the same size. Two CNNs are trained back-to-back to merge the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) of both colored images and eventually be able to blindly extract the hidden image. Based on two different image similarity metrics, a weighted gain function is used to guide the learning process and maximize the quality of the retrieved secret image and yet maintaining acceptable imperceptibility. Experimental results verified the high recoverability of DeepWaveletFusion which outperformed similar deep-learning-based methods.

Keywords: deep learning, steganography, image, discrete wavelet transform, fusion

Procedia PDF Downloads 98

Authors: Othman Ali Alghtani, Yahya Abdul-Ekhalq Ali, Abdullah Abdul-Ekhalq Ali, Ahmed Al Sadiq Abdul Majeed, Najwa Attian Al-Mohammadi, Obead Mozel Alharbi, Sabri Mohamed Ismail, Omar Ibrahim Asiri

Abstract:

This study assessed the curricula of secondary schools given requirements to enhance the quality of life of students. The components of quality of life were described to build a list of standards and indicators. A questionnaire assessing the dimensions of mental (cognitive and emotional), physical, digital, and social health, and environmental awareness was prepared. A descriptive-analytical approach was used on a sample of 258 teachers and educational supervisors in Tabuk. The results indicated shortcomings in the secondary school curricula regarding developing standards and indicators of components of quality of life. Results also indicated that secondary school curricula incorporated few practices to improve student’s quality of life. No significant differences were found regarding the core subject, job, gender, and years of experience.

Keywords: assessing curricula, teacher practices, quality of life, teaching practices

Procedia PDF Downloads 274

Authors: R. Biondi, G. Dys, G. Ferone, T. Renard, M. Zysman

Abstract:

This paper describes an automated implementable system for impulsive signals detection and recognition. The system uses a Digital Signal Processing device for the detection and identification process. Here the system analyses the signals in real time in order to produce a particular response if needed. The system analyses the signals in real time in order to produce a specific output if needed. Detection is achieved through normalizing the inputs and comparing the read signals to a dynamic threshold and thus avoiding detections linked to loud or fluctuating environing noise. Identification is done through neuronal network algorithms. As a setup our system can receive signals to “learn” certain patterns. Through “learning” the system can recognize signals faster, inducing flexibility to new patterns similar to those known. Sound is captured through a simple jack input, and could be changed for an enhanced recording surface such as a wide-area recorder. Furthermore a communication module can be added to the apparatus to send alerts to another interface if needed.

Keywords: sound detection, impulsive signal, background noise, neural network

Procedia PDF Downloads 326

Authors: Maria Joseph Israel, Ahmed Amer

Abstract:

Our work aims to broaden the application of provenance technology beyond its traditional domains of scientific workflow management and database systems by offering a general provenance framework to capture richer and extensible metadata in unstructured textual data sources such as literary texts, commentaries, translations, and digital humanities. Specifically, we demonstrate the feasibility of capturing and representing expressive provenance metadata, including more of the context for citing scholarly works (e.g., the authors’ explicit or inferred intentions at the time of developing his/her research content for publication), while also supporting subsequent augmentation with similar additional metadata (by third parties, be they human or automated). To better capture the nature and types of possible citations, in our proposed provenance scheme metaScribe, we extend standard provenance conceptual models to form our proposed provCite ontology. This provides a conceptual framework which can accurately capture and describe more of the functional and rhetorical properties of a citation than can be achieved with any current models.

Keywords: knowledge representation, provenance architecture, ontology, metadata, bibliographic citation, semantic web annotation

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: Rana Mohamed, Ahmed E. Gomaa, Gehan Safwat, Ayman Diab

Abstract:

Background: Bio-fabrication is a multidisciplinary research field that combines several principles, fabrication techniques, and protocols from different fields. The open-source-software movement is a movement that supports the use of open-source licenses for some or all software as part of the broader notion of open collaboration. Additive manufacturing is the concept of 3D printing, where it is a manufacturing method through adding layer-by-layer using computer-aided designs (CAD). There are several types of AM system used, and they can be categorized by the type of process used. One of these AM technologies is Digital light processing (DLP) which is a 3D printing technology used to rapidly cure a photopolymer resin to create hard scaffolds. DLP uses a projected light source to cure (Harden or crosslinking) the entire layer at once. Current applications of DLP are focused on dental and medical applications. Other developments have been made in this field, leading to the revolutionary field 3D bioprinting. The open-source movement was started to spread the concept of open-source software to provide software or hardware that is cheaper, reliable, and has better quality. Objective: Modification of desktop 3D printer into 3D bio-printer and the integration of DLP technology and bio-fabrication to produce an antibacterial dental model. Method: Modification of a desktop 3D printer into a 3D bioprinter. Gelatin hydrogel and sodium alginate hydrogel were prepared with different concentrations. Rhizome of Zingiber officinale, Flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, and Bulbs of Allium sativum were extracted, and extractions were selected on different levels (Powder, aqueous extracts, total oils, and Essential oils) prepared for antibacterial bioactivity. Agar well diffusion method along with the E. coli have been used to perform the sensitivity test for the antibacterial activity of the extracts acquired by Zingiber officinale, Syzygium aromaticum, and Allium sativum. Lastly, DLP printing was performed to produce several dental models with the natural extracted combined with hydrogel to represent and simulate the Hard and Soft tissues. Result: The desktop 3D printer was modified into 3D bioprinter using open-source software Marline and modified custom-made 3D printed parts. Sodium alginate hydrogel and gelatin hydrogel were prepared at 5% (w/v), 10% (w/v), and 15%(w/v). Resin integration with the natural extracts of Rhizome of Zingiber officinale, Flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, and Bulbs of Allium sativum was done following the percentage 1- 3% for each extract. Finally, the Antimicrobial dental model was printed; exhibits the antimicrobial activity, followed by merging with sodium alginate hydrogel. Conclusion: The open-source movement was successful in modifying and producing a low-cost Desktop 3D Bioprinter showing the potential of further enhancement in such scope. Additionally, the potential of integrating the DLP technology with bioprinting is a promising step toward the usage of the antimicrobial activity using natural products.

Keywords: 3D printing, 3D bio-printing, DLP, hydrogel, antibacterial activity, zingiber officinale, syzygium aromaticum, allium sativum, panax ginseng, dental applications

Procedia PDF Downloads 100

Authors: Ahmad Zaini, F. Muhammad Reza Hadafi, Surya Sumpeno, Muhtadin, Mochamad Hariadi

Abstract:

The lack of information about museum’s collection reduces the number of visits of museum. Museum’s revitalization is an urgent activity to increase the number of visits. The research's roadmap is building a web-based application that visualizes museum in the virtual form including museum's statue reconstruction in the form of 3D. This paper describes implementation of three-dimensional model reconstruction method based on light-strip pattern on the museum statue using 3D scanner. Noise removal, alignment, meshing and refinement model's processes is implemented to get a better 3D object reconstruction. Model’s texture derives from surface texture mapping between object's images with reconstructed 3D model. Accuracy test of dimension of the model is measured by calculating relative error of virtual model dimension compared against the original object. The result is realistic three-dimensional model textured with relative error around 4.3% to 5.8%.

Keywords: 3D reconstruction, light pattern structure, texture mapping, museum

Procedia PDF Downloads 473

Authors: Masome Moeni, Roya Abedizadeh, Elham Aram, Hamid Sadeghi-Abandansari, Davood Sabour, Robert Menzel, Ali Hassanpour

Abstract:

Significant number of studies and preclinical research in formulation of cancer nano-pharmaceutics have led to an improvement in cancer care. Nonetheless, the antineoplastic agents have ‘failed to live up to its promise’ since their clinical performance is moderately low. For almost ninety years, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPS) have managed to keep its reputation in clinical application due to their low toxicity, versatility and multi-modal capabilities. Drug Administration approved utilization of IONPs for diagnosis of cancer as contrast media in magnetic resonance imaging, as heat mediator in magnetic hyperthermia and for the treatment of iron deficiency. Furthermore, IONPs have high drug-loading capacity, which makes them good candidates as therapeutic agent transporters. There are yet challenges to overcome for successful clinical application of IONPs, including stability of drug and poor delivery, which might lead to (i) drug resistance, (ii) shorter blood circulation time, and (iii) rapid elimination and adverse side effects from the system. In this study, highly stable and super paramagnetic IONPs were prepared for efficient and targeted drug delivery in cancer treatment. The synthesis procedure was briefly involved the production of IONPs via co-precipitation followed by coating with tetraethyl orthosilicate and 3-aminopropylethoxysilane and grafting with folic acid for stability targeted purposes and controlled drug release. Physiochemical and morphological properties of modified IONPs were characterised using different analytical techniques. The resultant IONPs exhibited clusters of 10 nm spherical shape crystals with less than 100 nm size suitable for drug delivery. The functionalized IONP showed mesoporous features, high stability, dispersibility and crystallinity. Subsequently, the functionalized IONPs were successfully loaded with oxaliplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent, for a controlled drug release in an actively targeting cancer cells. FT-IR observations confirmed presence of oxaliplatin functional groups, while ICP-MS results verified the drug loading was ~ 1.3%.

Keywords: cancer treatment, chemotherapeutic agent, drug delivery, iron oxide, multi-functional nanoparticle

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: F. Al-Fahad, J. Chakkamalayath, A. Al-Aibani

Abstract:

Conventional methods of determination of concrete strength under controlled laboratory conditions will not accurately represent the actual strength of concrete developed under site curing conditions. This difference in strength measurement will be more in the extreme environment in Kuwait as it is characterized by hot marine environment with normal temperature in summer exceeding 50°C accompanied by dry wind in desert areas and salt laden wind on marine and on shore areas. Therefore, it is required to have test methods to measure the in-place properties of concrete for quality assurance and for the development of durable concrete structures. The maturity method, which defines the strength of a given concrete mix as a function of its age and temperature history, is an approach for quality control for the production of sustainable and durable concrete structures. The unique harsh environmental conditions in Kuwait make it impractical to adopt experiences and empirical equations developed from the maturity methods in other countries. Concrete curing, especially in the early age plays an important role in developing and improving the strength of the structure. This paper investigates the use of maturity method to assess the effectiveness of three different types of curing methods on the compressive and flexural strength development of one high strength concrete mix of 60 MPa produced with silica fume. This maturity approach was used to predict accurately, the concrete compressive and flexural strength at later ages under different curing conditions. Maturity curves were developed for compressive and flexure strengths for a commonly used concrete mix in Kuwait, which was cured using three different curing conditions, including water curing, external spray coating and the use of internal curing compound during concrete mixing. It was observed that the maturity curve developed for the same mix depends on the type of curing conditions. It can be used to predict the concrete strength under different exposure and curing conditions. This study showed that concrete curing with external spray curing method cannot be recommended to use as it failed to aid concrete in reaching accepted values of strength, especially for flexural strength. Using internal curing compound lead to accepted levels of strength when compared with water cuing. Utilization of the developed maturity curves will help contactors and engineers to determine the in-place concrete strength at any time, and under different curing conditions. This will help in deciding the appropriate time to remove the formwork. The reduction in construction time and cost has positive impacts towards sustainable construction.

Keywords: curing, durability, maturity, strength

Procedia PDF Downloads 308

Authors: Paulo Cesar Pereira Junior, Alexandre Monteiro, Rafael da Luz Ribeiro, Antonio Carlos Sobieranski, Aldo von Wangenheim

Abstract:

In this paper, we present a comparison between convolutional neural networks and classical computer vision approaches, for the specific precision agriculture problem of weed mapping on sugarcane fields aerial images. A systematic literature review was conducted to find which computer vision methods are being used on this specific problem. The most cited methods were implemented, as well as four models of convolutional neural networks. All implemented approaches were tested using the same dataset, and their results were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The obtained results were compared to a human expert made ground truth for validation. The results indicate that the convolutional neural networks present better precision and generalize better than the classical models.

Keywords: convolutional neural networks, deep learning, digital image processing, precision agriculture, semantic segmentation, unmanned aerial vehicles

Procedia PDF Downloads 265

Authors: Nurzahidah Haji Jaapar, Anis Husna Abdul Halim, Mohd Faiz Mohamed Yusof, Mohd Dani Muhamad, Sharifah Fadylawaty Syed Abdullah

Abstract:

The growing size of Muslim is recognised with significant increasing of purchasing power in the market. The realm of trade and business has embedded religious values as the new market segments are emerging in offering food products to meet needs and demands of Muslim consumer. The emergence of new market in food industry, advertising is charged with all sort of negative effects includes promoting controversial unsafety and harmful products, wasteful spending and exploiting women and kids. Therefore, this research attempts to examine between previous examinations of advertising standardisation in ancient era and current practices in the market. This paper is based on content analysis of the literature. The results show that there are a bridge gap between the implementation of practices as the advent in industrial 4.0 in using digital advertising by food industry. Thus, this paper is able to recognize the differences between two era and significant in determining the best practices in advertising by following Islamic principles.

Keywords: Islamic advertising, unethical advertising, ethical advertising, Islamic principles

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Zena Tredinnick-Kirby, Anna Divinsky, Brendan Berthold, Nicole Cingolani

Abstract:

Faculty members from The Pennsylvania State University, Zena Tredinnick-Kirby, Ph.D., and Anna Divinsky are at the forefront of an innovative educational approach to improve access in asynchronous online art courses. Their pioneering work weaves virtual reality (VR) technologies to construct a more equitable educational experience for students by transforming their learning and engagement. The significance of their study lies in the need to bridge the digital divide in online art courses, making them more inclusive and interactive for all distance learners. In an era where conventional classroom settings are no longer the sole means of instruction, Tredinnick-Kirby and Divinsky harness the power of instructional technologies to break down geographical barriers by incorporating an interactive VR experience that facilitates community building within an online environment transcending physical constraints. The methodology adopted by Tredinnick-Kirby, and Divinsky is centered around integrating 3D virtual spaces into their art courses. Spatial.io, a virtual world platform, enables students to develop digital avatars and engage in virtual art museums through a free browser-based program or an Oculus headset, where they can interact with other visitors and critique each other’s artwork. The goal is not only to provide students with an engaging and immersive learning experience but also to nourish them with a more profound understanding of the language of art criticism and technology. Furthermore, the study aims to cultivate critical thinking skills among students and foster a collaborative spirit. By leveraging cutting-edge VR technology, students are encouraged to explore the possibilities of their field, experimenting with innovative tools and techniques. This approach not only enriches their learning experience but also prepares them for a dynamic and ever-evolving art landscape in technology and education. One of the fundamental objectives of Tredinnick-Kirby and Divinsky is to remodel how feedback is derived through peer-to-peer art critique. Through the inclusion of 3D virtual spaces into the curriculum, students now have the opportunity to install their final artwork in a virtual gallery space and incorporate peer feedback, enabling students to exhibit their work opening the doors to a collaborative and interactive process. Students can provide constructive suggestions, engage in discussions, and integrate peer commentary into developing their ideas and praxis. This approach not only accelerates the learning process but also promotes a sense of community and growth. In summary, the study conducted by the Penn State faculty members Zena Tredinnick-Kirby, and Anna Divinsky represents innovative use of technology in their courses. By incorporating 3D virtual spaces, they are enriching the learners' experience. Through this inventive pedagogical technique, they nurture critical thinking, collaboration, and the practical application of cutting-edge technology in art. This research holds great promise for the future of online art education, transforming it into a dynamic, inclusive, and interactive experience that transcends the confines of distance learning.

Keywords: Art, community building, distance learning, virtual reality

Procedia PDF Downloads 74

Authors: M. Novak, J. Dufourmount, D. Wildi, A. Sutherland, L. Sosa, J. Zimmer, E. Szabo

Abstract:

The circular economy has grounded itself amongst scholars and practitioners operating across governments and enterprises. The aim of this paper is to augment the circular economy concept by identifying common core and enabling circular business models. To this aim, we have analysed over 150 papers regarding circular activities and identified 8 clusters of business models and enablers. We have mapped and harmonised the most prominent frameworks conceptualising the circular economy. Our findings indicate that circular economy core business models include regenerative in addition to reduce, reuse and recycle activities. We further find enabling activities in design, digital technologies, knowledge development and sharing, multistakeholder collaborations, and extended corporate responsibility initiatives in various forms. We critically contrast the application of these business models across the European and African contexts. Overall, we find that seemingly varied circular economy definitions distill the same conceptual business models. We hope to contribute towards the coherence of the circular economy concept, and the continuous development of practical guidance to select and implement circular strategies.

Keywords: Circular economy, content analysis, business models, definitions, enablers, frameworks

Procedia PDF Downloads 231

Authors: Tajinder Kaur, Anu Bala

Abstract:

An image retrieval system is a computer system for browsing, searching, and retrieving images from a large database of digital images a new algorithm meant for content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is presented in this paper. The proposed method combines the color and texture features which are extracted the global and local information of the image. The local texture feature is extracted by using local binary patterns (LBP), which are evaluated by taking into consideration of local difference between the center pixel and its neighbors. For the global color feature, the color histogram (CH) is used which is calculated by RGB (red, green, and blue) spaces separately. In this paper, the combination of color and texture features are proposed for content-based image retrieval. The performance of the proposed method is tested on Corel 1000 database which is the natural database. The results after being investigated show a significant improvement in terms of their evaluation measures as compared to LBP and CH.

Keywords: color, texture, feature extraction, local binary patterns, image retrieval

Procedia PDF Downloads 371

Authors: Theodore Grosch, Felipe Koji Godinho Hoshino

Abstract:

In wireless communications, 3GPP LTE is one of the solutions to meet the greater transmission data rate demand. One issue inherent to this technology is the PAPR (Peak-to-Average Power Ratio) of OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) modulation. This high PAPR affects the efficiency of power amplifiers. One approach to mitigate this effect is the Crest Factor Reduction (CFR) technique. In this work, we simulate the impact of Hard Limited Clipping Crest Factor Reduction technique on BER (Bit Error Rate) in OFDM based Systems. In general, the results showed that CFR has more effects on higher digital modulation schemes, as expected. More importantly, we show the worst-case degradation due to CFR on QPSK, 16QAM, and 64QAM signals in a linear system. For example, hard clipping of 9 dB results in a 2 dB increase in signal to noise energy at a 1% BER for 64-QAM modulation.

Keywords: bit error rate, crest factor reduction, OFDM, physical layer simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 371

Authors: Nima Shafaghi, Gunay Anlaş, C. Can Aydiner

Abstract:

A realistic understanding of martensitic phase transition under complex stress states is key for accurately describing the mechanical behavior of shape memory alloys (SMAs). Particularly regarding the sharply changing stress fields at the tip of a crack, the size, nature and shape of transformed zones are of great interest. There is significant variation among various analytical models in their predictions of the size and shape of the transformation zone. As the fully transformed region remains inside a very small boundary at the tip of the crack, experimental validation requires microscopic resolution. Here, the crack tip vicinity of NiTi compact tension specimen has been monitored in situ with microscopic image correlation with 20x magnification. With nominal 15 micrometer grains and 0.2 micrometer per pixel optical resolution, the strains at the crack tip are mapped with intra-grain detail. The transformation regions are then deduced using an equivalent strain formulation.

Keywords: digital image correlation, fracture, martensitic phase transition, mode I, NiTi, transformation zone

Procedia PDF Downloads 355

Authors: Will Brown

Abstract:

Martin Heidegger is considered to be one of the leading philosophical lights of the 20th century with his lecture/essay 'The Question Concerning Technology' proving to be an invaluable text in the study of technology and the understanding of how technology influences the world it is set upon. However, this text has not as of yet been applied to the rapid rise and proliferation of ‘smart’ cities. This article is premised upon the application of the aforementioned text and the smart city in order to provide a fresh, if not critical analysis and interpretation of this phenomena. The first section below provides a brief literature review of smart urbanism in order to lay the groundwork necessary to apply Heidegger’s work to the smart city, from which a framework is developed to interpret the infusion of digital sensing technologies and the urban milieu. This framework is comprised of four concepts put forward in Heidegger’s text: circumscribing, bringing-forth, challenging, and standing-reserve. A concluding chapter is based upon the notion of enframement, arguing that once the rubric of data collection is placed within the urban system, future systems will require the capability to harvest data, resulting in an ever-renewing smart city.

Keywords: air quality sensing, big data, Martin Heidegger, smart city

Procedia PDF Downloads 216

Authors: Rym Ghariani, Ghada Soltane, Younes Boujelbene

Abstract:

Industry 4.0, a set of emerging smart and digital technologies, has been the main focus of operations management researchers and practitioners in recent years. The objective of this research paper is to study the impact of Industry 4.0 on the integration of the supply chain (SCI) in Tunisian industrial companies. A conceptual model to study the relationship between Industry 4.0 technologies and supply chain integration was designed. This model contains three explained variables (Big data, Internet of Things, and Robotics) and one variable to be explained (supply chain integration). In order to answer our research questions and investigate the research hypotheses, principal component analysis and discriminant analysis were used using SPSS26 software. The results reveal that there is a statistically positive impact significant impact of Industry 4.0 (Big data, Internet of Things and Robotics) on the integration of the supply chain. Interestingly, big data has a greater positive impact on supply chain integration than the Internet of Things and robotics.

Keywords: industry 4.0 (I4.0), big data, internet of things, robotics, supply chain integration

Procedia PDF Downloads 65

Authors: Francisco Julio Batle Lorente

Abstract:

The present paper aims at presenting a new category of role for academia: proactive creator/promoter of communities of practice in emerging areas of innovation. It is based in research among practitioners in three different areas: social entrepreneurship, alumni engaged in entrepreneurship and innovation, and digital nomads. The concept of CoP is related to an intentionally created space to share experiences and collectively reflect on the cases arising from practice. Such an endeavour is not contemplated in the literature on academic roles in an explicit way. The goal of the paper is providing a framework for this function and throw some light on the perception and priorities of members of emerging communities (78 alumni, 154 social entrepreneurs, and 231 digital nomads) regarding community, learning, engagement, and networking, areas in which the university can help and, by doing so, contributing to signal the emerging area and creating new opportunities for the academia. The research methodology was based in Survey research. It is a specific type of field study that involves the collection of data from a sample of elements drawn from a well-defined population through the use of a questionnaire. It was considered that survey research might be valuable to the present project and help outline the utility of various study designs and future projects with the emerging communities that are the object of the investigation. Open questions were used for different topics, as well as critical incident technique. It was used a standard technique for survey sampling and questionnaire design. Finally, it was defined a procedure for pretesting questionnaires and for data collection. The questionnaire was channelled by means of google forms. The results indicate that the members of emerging, innovative CoPs and learning such the ones that were selected for this investigation lack cohesion, inspiration, networking, opportunities for creation of social capital, opportunities for collaboration beyond their existing and close network. The opportunity that arises for the academia from proactively helping articulate CoP (and Communities of learning) are related to key elements of any CoP/ CoL: community construction approaches, technological infrastructure, benefits, participation issues and urgent challenges, trust, networking, technical ability/training/development and collaboration. Beyond training, other three areas (networking, collaboration and urgent challenges) were the ones in which the contribution of universities to the communities were considered more interesting and workable to practitioners. The analysis of the responses for the open questions related to perception of the universities offer options for terra incognita to be explored for universities (signalling new areas, establishing broader collaborations with research, government, media and corporations, attracting investment). Based on the findings from this research, there is some evidence that CoPs can offer a formal and informal method of professional and interprofessional development for member of any emerging and innovative community and can decrease social and professional isolation. The opportunity that it offers to academia can increase the entrepreneurial and engaged university identity. It also moves to academia into a realm of civic confrontation of present and future challenges in a more proactive way.

Keywords: social innovation, new roles of academia, community of learning, community of practice

Procedia PDF Downloads 86